Colgan's series nurturing stars

Sharon Robb Participant Sports

Dig the Beach gives volleyballers a start

Chris Colgan got a kick out of watching Phil Dalhausser of Ormond Beach and Nick Lucena of Fort Lauderdale play each other Sunday in the men's final of the $200,000 AVP Cuervo Gold Crown Miami Open.

Dalhausser and Lucena, a Western alum, came up through the sport playing on Florida tours including Zephyrhills' Dig The Beach Series that opens this weekend on Siesta Key.

"That's part of the idea of this series, to help develop the open players so they have a shot at the AVP someday," said Colgan, president of Boca Raton-based Exclusive Sports Marketing, producers of the volleyball series. "There is some great competition in this series, and we have more teams than we have ever had."

An added incentive is event organizers are putting up all open division entry fees as the cash purse per event. If 32 teams sign up for men's open, the prize purse will be $3,200.

Colgan and his staff are taking it another step in helping develop the next generation of women players. This weekend the inaugural NCAA Division I Women's Florida Invitational Tournament will be held in conjunction with the series opener.

Twenty-eight teams from seven schools, including University of Miami, Florida Atlantic and University of South Florida, will compete in a college beach volleyball tournament. The event is similar to the Collegiate Beach Volleyball Championships that started in 2006.

There are several other divisions in the two-day tournament for recreational adult and junior players. A free volleyball clinic will also be held Friday, 6-8 p.m. To register go to www.digthebeach.com.

Triathlon

The Ameriprise Financial South Florida Duathlon and Triathlon Series is Sunday at Tradewinds Park in Coconut Creek at 7 a.m. Athletes will compete for valuable series points. Registration is still open. Call 954-433-3475 or go to multirace.com. ... Anton Van Zyl of Fort Lauderdale caught defending champion John Reback, 38, of North Palm Beach in the final quarter-mile Sunday to win the FAU Wellness Triathlon at Spanish River Park. Van Zyl, who turned 35 on race day, finished in 48:44, a minute slower than when he won in 2006. In the women's race, Linda Neary Robb, 44, of Juno Beach won the race in 53:12 to reclaim the title she held from 2003-05 before placing second the past two years. Angela Hygema, 33, of Dania Beach was second in 54:09. Less than 600 triathletes competed, a drop from previous years and mainly due the inaugural Nautica South Beach Triathlon held the same morning. Race director Michael Epstein said he plans to return to South Beach next year the week before the FAU Wellness Triathlon. Epstein, producer of the popular Hi-Tec Adventure Racing Series in the 1990s, said he didn't realize how close Boca Raton was and never would have put it on the same day had he known.

Cycling

Mike Midlarsky of Herbalife/Bike America won the Tuesday Night Criterium at Brian Piccolo Park in Cooper City. Other top finishers were Seth Hansley of Los Locos, Ga.; Grant Potter, Herbalife/Bike America; Ortelio Marin, Sun Cycling and Leonardo Martinez, Herbalife/Bike America. ... The Village Well at 1023 17th Street Causeway in Fort Lauderdale will hold a fundraiser Saturday starting at 6 p.m. for the MS150 Bike Ride from Miami to Key Largo. For every drink purchased, The Well will donate to "Team Happy Hour." Web site donations can be made at www.ms150.com.

Running

A field of 1,500 will compete Saturday in the 27th annual Bridge Run near Marathon. The Marathon Runners Club event, run entirely on the Seven Mile Bridge, has become one of the state's most popular races. Entries are closed but "bandits" are expected.